The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) introduced the Public Defenders Bill for First Reading in Parliament today. The Bill, when enacted, will provide for the establishment of the Public Defender’s Office as a department under MinLaw to administer criminal legal aid. The bill provides for the appointment of a Chief Public Defender and outlines the scope…
The Young Lawyers’ Committee and the Women in Practice Committee of Singapore are working to develop a workplace harassment prevention policy
The Young Lawyers’ Committee and the Women in Practice Committee of Singapore currently working in tandem to develop a key policy to address work place bullying. The harassment prevention policy is to be rolled out amongst Singapore law firms at some point next year. It comes on the back of the Law Society of Singapore’s…
Structural Changes to the Legal Service to Deepen Capabilities and Better Meet Evolving Demands
In an attempt to update legal services to meet evolving demand, the government of Singapore has proposed a number of changes, including: 1.Establishing a separate Judicial Service, overseen by a newly established Judicial Service Commission (JSC) headed by the Chief Justice. Legal Service Officers (LSOs) currently holding judicial posts, such as Assistant Registrars in the…
Singapore Ministry of Law offers free mediation services for couples and wedding vendors impacted by COVID-19
The Singapore Ministry of Law (“MinLaw”) has introduced a new free mediation programme for parties such as couples and wedding vendors who have been impacted by new COVID-19 restrictions. The MinLaw COVID-19 (Wedding) Mediation Programme first took effect on 8 May 2021 and was introduced in recognition of the fact that many parties had to…
Singapore to expand permitted categories for third party funding
The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) has approved changes that will be implemented on the 28th June, which will see the third-party funding (TPF) framework widened to allow for the inclusion of domestic arbitration proceedings, certain proceedings in the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC), and related mediation proceedings. The new funding options offer businesses an alternative…
Singapore and Uzbekistan sign memorandum of understanding on legal cooperation
On the 22nd of April, Singapore’s Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law, Mr K Shanmugam SC, and Uzbekistan’s Minister of Justice, Mr Ruslanbek Davletov, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Legal Cooperation. The signing took place at the Tashkent Law Spring, an annual legal forum, held in Uzbekistan. The MoU provides a…
Singapore law firms sign anti bullying and harassment pledge with Law Society of Singapore
Twenty-one of Singapore’s largest law firms have signed the Law Society of Singapore’s Law Firm Pledge on Preventing Bullying and Harassment in Singapore’s Legal Profession, in a virtual signing ceremony. Demonstrating a strong commitment to combatting these issues in the profession. The pledge seeks to: i) promote and maintain professionalism; (ii) respect human dignity; and…
Law Society of Singapore Releases First Report on Gender Diversity in the Profession
The Law Society of Singapore has announced the release of “Levelling the Playing Field”, its first-ever report into gender diversity and inclusion in the Singapore legal profession. The data for the report has been gathered over the course of the past two years and examines the experience of female practitioners across the profession, The data…
Singapore Ministry of Law public consultation on Committee for the Professional Training of Lawyers proposals
The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) has launched a public consultation on the proposals to implement the recommendations of the Committee for the Professional Training of Lawyers (“CPTL”). In August 2018, MinLaw announced that it had accepted, in-principle, the CPTL’s recommendations and that implementation of the key changes would take place from the 2023 session of…
Singapore Minister for Law signs legal cooperation MOU with China
During his recent visit to China, Singapore Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law K Shanmugam held a bilateral meeting with Chinese Minister of Justice Fu Zhenghua. Both sides emphasised the progress in legal cooperation that has been made over the past few years. In accordance with the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Prime Minister…